[Pocket Pony]

TheBrownHorse, he is LOVELY!!!!

[4wdNstraight]

I am very proud of my greenie. She got Reserve Champion at Region 5 Championships at Training level, and ended up 5th for AA all breeds for the Hanoverians this year! My goal was to stay in the ring so needless to say I am thrilled! I love riding the young ones as they are so rewarding! I have a lot of pride when it comes to her as I picked her out myself as a 2 year old, started her, and done most of the riding myself. The success was just a bonus. I love her!

[KrazyTBMare]

Congrats!



Have had two amazing rides back to back... a couple of pics from yesterday... he was having a head shaking day :-/

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...46485963_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...24408519_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...15957421_n.jpg

[mbm]

i have a greenie update my energy conserving Connemara - who i thought would *never* be a sporty guy - has finally broken thru that mind set and is happily trucking along - learning to really step under and engage and motor!

still not a forward or reactive as i want but about 500% better that 3 months ago.

now to channel it

[piccolopony]

i have a greenie update my energy conserving Connemara - who i thought would *never* be a sporty guy - has finally broken thru that mind set and is happily trucking along - learning to really step under and engage and motor!

still not a forward or reactive as i want but about 500% better that 3 months ago.

now to channel it

I hope I get to write this in a few more months! Right now my greenie Haflinger cross isn't forward either. She certainly has the pony attitude but I've toyed with the idea of testing her for Lyme just to be sure. Mostly though I think it's just the pony in her

Nict to hear that it's working for someone though!!

[PiberFever17]

My 4 year old Lipizzan mare is finally home from being backed by the cowboys for 30 days! She's doing awesome!! Very willing under saddle and so incredibly smart. Here are some pictures of her after 4 days of being home from the cowboy colt starter

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...adaDay4024.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...adaDay4028.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...adaDay4033.jpg

[mbm]

I hope I get to write this in a few more months! Right now my greenie Haflinger cross isn't forward either. She certainly has the pony attitude but I've toyed with the idea of testing her for Lyme just to be sure. Mostly though I think it's just the pony in her

Nict to hear that it's working for someone though!!

well - to be honest it wasn't easy (for me - for my trainer it was easy). I had to totally re visualize what i wanted from him and then enforce it. As my trainer says "it is just a habit" so...... i had to step up to the plate and not accept half efforts or lackadaisical work. this was hard for me! but i am happy to report that we are about 80% of the way there and now it is just connecting the energy and channeling it.
m

[4wdNstraight]

My greenie mare always comes out completely unconvinced that she should move her feet every ride. I call her my wind up toy because she takes some skillful riding at the beginning, but once I get her where I want-in front of my leg with a small aid, supple and carrying, she feels like she could do this forever! I was hoping it would totally go away, but I'm starting to think this is just her. The amount of time I spend in that behind the leg place gets shorter and shorter so I am happy. What I do love is the glimpses of how she can carry. Wow! Compared to my 4th level horse that carrying was very hard for, she feels like it is right there. Now I've been told to quit riding her like a baby and start asking for more since she can do it.

[KrazyTBMare]

Congrats ladies. And Piber, she looks great! Esp for 30 days!

[LarkspurCO]

I took my two-year-old to another show in September. This time we were a little more polished and we got a pretty blue ribbon. It is really all about show training for him, but I was really psyched to win a class.

I have no idea how I'll be able to run him next year -- he's over 16.2 now and I have a hard time keeping up. You can see I was working a lot harder than he was!

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...oe/running.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...e/running3.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...73524167_n.jpg


If you want to do something with your youngster, I highly recommend the sport-horse classes. It is a lot harder than it looks and is great practice for that one day when you enter at A, mounted.

[4wdNstraight]

Larkspur he is gorgeous!

[TheBrownHorse]

I have an update on Mr. Charles

He's supposed to move over to my barn (so I don't have to drive so far, he's almost an hour away from me right now, so I spend a good half of what I make riding him in gas). Though, I need some good thoughts sent my way that things work out. I'm supposed to put a years worth of training on him then with the hopes of a resale. It's hard for owner to justify spending the money to board him and shoe him at a barn that's not her own. This horse means so much to me (yes, I've attached myself to a project horse... something which I've not yet done). IF I had the funds, and didn't already own 4 other horses, I'd take him in a heartbeat. If I can sell one of my mares, I *might* be able to take him in, though it's just not looking feasible. It's actually not feasible. I need to sell one of my mares.

In the meantime, I'm still riding him, as usual. And here are some issues we're going through.

He's a rescue. Someone has mistreated and misused this horse. Someone has sat HARD on his back at some point in his life. He will buck into the canter if he feels he has been sat on too hard (for instance, sitting the trot is a huge no no at this point in time). Depending on the day, he's find. The right lead is always hit or miss. I don't think he's in actual physical pain, just mental pain. He gets worked on by the chiro, saddle fits, sound, palpate the back and nothing. he bends, stretches, all that jazz, it's a complete mental thing for this horse. I'm thinking of just sticking to the (posting) trot for the time being, and incorporating lots of long and low. Here's the thing. Someone has also pounded into him, like one of those lesson ponies, that after trot work on both reins and a walk break, it means CANTER. He tenses up. This is where he gets the most frustrated. And sometimes, most of the time, we work through this. But it's that small % of time we don't that worries me.

*sigh*

jingles that he's sent my way.

[Manni01]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbPygFgfso4

Yesterday I visited my 3 year old at the Trainer. Afterwards I got to ride her and in about 3 weeks she will be coming home! Finally!!
She is a tall leggy girl and will need much more time to grow into her body...

[LarkspurCO]

Larkspur he is gorgeous!

Thank you! I did some editing on this photo to remove a white blob. Maybe I can get him a gig modeling blankets and bridles to pay for his hay -- lol.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2.../headshot2.jpg

Preparing to show him on the triangle was a lot of work. There's nothing like a looming competition to motivate you to get out and work with your horse.

Not only was there all of the leading practice, but of course he had to learn to wear a bit and to go on the longe line. This is where I taught him to really move out in the bigger trot on voice command (and where I realized how much I run like middle-aged girl).

The show was great fun and everyone was so friendly and helpful. I made new friends and got to meet some people who bought babies from stallions I had looked at when I was shopping and see how these horses are growing up. And one of the other competitors was kind enough to give me tips and feedback in the warm-up ring.

It did not help that on the way out I ran over a gigantic tent stake and completely destroyed TWO trailer tires ($$). Grrrrr....

[KrazyTBMare]

Rachel, Layla would anticipate the canter after trot work. It really just had to be about her figuring out that she had to wait and I would go weeks without cantering just so she didnt expect it. If you want to just work on the trot, then forego the canter and even if he does get tense, its going to be just one of those things you have to work through. I wouldnt make a big deal about him getting tense, just continue posting and trotting along, tense or not, and eventually he will realize you arent going to canter. So much of the canter can be fixed in the trot anyways. So even if you went a month or more without cantering, you arent going to be hampering him. If you do want to canter, I would just do a half seat and let him learn to enjoy the canter with a rider. Dont worry about leads. Its kind of like starting a baby. If you are going left and you get the right lead, just go across the arena and go to the right. You cant fix it all at once. If he isnt good with the canter in the first place, you cant also address the leads until the canter itself gets better. The whole boarding thing... well I can totally see the owners point. Is he at the owners barn, like house? so she doesnt have a board bill? What if you tried to work out that the money you would be getting paid for training him will go towards board/feet/etc and see if you guys can work something like that out? How often can you ride him now and what would change if you moved him, other than your commute?

Lark, great pics. He really is a great looking boy! And I read "I ran over a gigantic tent stake and completely destroyed TWO trailer tires" as SNAKE not stake and I was like what the hell kind of snakes do you have out there?!?! lol

[Fairview Horse Center]

This is kind of bittersweet. I have stopped breeding, so this is the last baby I will have by my stallion Nevada. He just came home from being started undersaddle. I am enjoying seeing him be ridden, and will really hate to part with him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tglADUQ39zY

[Tif_Ann]

I have video of my 3 year old Morgan ... but I'm not thrilled with it, so not sure I should post it. It was about ride 35-40, but also with a younger rider who had never ridden him before. She's tense, which of course he picks up on. I did have her do some large figure eights at the walk halfway through to while asking her questions to get her talking and relax, and that helped some, but he's still head up, flat in his movements, and basically it's not a good representation of his actual riding right now. What it does show is that he's relatively calm under saddle, knows his cues, and is starting to move nicely off leg. Ahh, heck, why not, I'll post it. Just ... no comments regarding the rider, as she's not here to respond and I already know that she doesn't do him a lot of good here: http://youtu.be/qAMXul45Wc4 I planned on trying to get video with my friend who rides him more often, since it's hard to videotape myself! LOL

I think he's doing well, considering his history. When you realize that just this May he was living in a pen and it would take 30 minutes just to halter him, for him to be w/t/c under saddle, learning to leg yield, trail rides out alone, not to mention he now is a "normal" 3 year old with a stall and daily turnout. He comes up to the gate and sticks his head over for his halter which makes me smile He grew a little over an inch this summer and was 15.2 hh last time we measured. He seems to have grown again but haven't sticked him recently.

Winter is settling in now in South Dakota, so his training has switched to mostly lunge work with side reins right now, with a short ride on nice days at the end just to work on transitions and keeping him progressing.

[netg]

I was out of town to scribe for an L candidate this weekend.

This morning when I went out to feed I looked at my baby and... she's suddenly looking like a real horse! When she got here almost 4 weeks ago I could see over her back. Not anymore. And I can see her shoulders getting broader pretty much daily. Crazy!

[LadyNeon01]

Netg, its amazing how much they can change in a few days! Criss is my second young horse I've ever bought. Even though he's 4 and a half, I still see changes over a couple weeks ago. He's in the middle of a growth spurt and is all lanky and baby-looking. He was 16.2 when I bought him in February. I'm kind of afraid to know exactly how tall he is now.

On another note, the vet came out last week to do fall shots and said his teeth are due (uneven wear and some caps haven't popped off yet). So that would explain why he's been twisting his head and generally avoiding the bit recently. Teeth get done next Monday, just in time for my first show on the 17th!

[TheBrownHorse]

well, happy ending. I sold Charlie today! He's at a great home with a wonderful friend of mine who takes great care of her horses. I'm so happy things worked out the way they did!